Little Reid
by svnshne
Summary: When an unsub turns Reid in a toddler, how will the team react? (De-aged Reid)
1. Chapter 1

"FBI! Put your weapon on the ground!" Rossi shouted, pointing his gun at the unsub.

The unsub was mentally unstable, and experimented on animals, and then humans, trying to find out the secret to immortality.

The BAU had been called in when almost all of his experiments had died.

Elias Green looked at the three agents (Reid, Emily, and Rossi himself) in surprise, his eyes wide.

"Elias, right?" Reid asked after a moment between the unsub and the trio of agents of silence, neither group willing to put down their weapons, "My name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I know..." Reid took a step towards the unsub. Rossi shot Emily a questioning look, she shrugged slightly, "I know what it's like to have your intelligence questioned,"

Green blinked, lowering his knife slightly, "You do?"

"Of course. All of this, this whole time, you've only been trying to help. To better human kind," Green's eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously.

"Yes! _Yes!_ Finally someone who understands!" Reid took another step towards Green, and to Rossi and Prentiss' relief, Green lowered the knife even more, so that it was almost at his side. Rossi lowered his weapon, but Emily kept it trained on the unsub.

"Just give me the knife so you don't hurt someone accidentally. I know that's not what you want to do," Green nodded again, slowly giving the knife to Reid. Emily lowered her gun, reaching for her handcuffs.

Suddenly, faster than Rossi could even register what was happening, Green took something out of his pocket, stabbing Reid in the neck with it.

 _Idiot! Of course he had another knife!_

However, what Reid had been stabbed with was not a knife.

It was a syringe.

"No!" Emily shouted, raising her gun and shooting. Green was hit in the shoulder, dropping the syringe in his hand, and it shattered as it hit the ground.

"Reid, are you okay?" Rossi asked, kneeling next to his younger colleague.

Reid looked at him with confusion. His face seemed to be changing, "Reid?" Rossi asked, taking him by the shoulder and shaking him gently. The shoulder seemed to collapse under Rossi's hands, and he jumped back, looking at the man in surprise.

" _Reid!_ " He shouted. Reid was looking at his hands in horror, as they seemed to be shrinking, then his arms, and his head and torso. Reid cried out in pain.

"What the hell is happening?" Emily yelled.

"It worked." Green said in a smug tone.

" _What_ worked?" Rossi said in an angry tone.

"My serum. It reverses the aging process. And it _worked_."

Reid let out another cry of pain, closing his eyes.

"Reid, it's okay, Reid, focus on my voice. Can you hear me?" Rossi asked.

Rossi had never really liked Reid that much. He was brilliant, of course, and was a large reason that they solved most of the cases. But even so, he was an annoying little know-it-all, which bothered Rossi to no extent.

There was, of course, the more probable reason why he didn't like Reid, which was he was about the age his son would be if he was still alive. And for some reason, Rossi resented him for this.

But even so, Reid was in pain, and Rossi wanted to do whatever the hell it took to stop that pain that this kid was feeling.

Reid's hair was also changing. It was now a shade or two lighter, and not as curly.

His clothes were now too big for him.

"Is it going to stop?" Emily yelled as Reid let out a child-like scream.

"He would be a newborn, if I had injected him with all of the serum, but I didn't get the chance," Green said as Reid's shrinking slowed, leaving him the size of a two, maybe three, year old.

Reid looked up at Rossi, his eyes shining with tears.

"Uh...Reid?" Rossi asked. The little boy stared at him with large brown eyes.

"He may have lost his memory,"

" _May have?_ " Emily shouted at Green. Little Reid flinched.

"We have a problem, here." Rossi said into his ear piece.

 _"What is it?"_ Hotch's voice rang through.

"Well...I think it's something you have to see, Aaron." Rossi said, looking at the small boy who was growing more frightened by his surroundings, "Hey, hey, kiddo, it's okay. You're okay, no one's going to hurt you,"

" _There's a kid in there?"_ Morgan asked over the earpiece.

"Well...sorta," Emily said.

" _Sort of?_ "

"Rossi, he looks like he's about to cry," Emily told the older man.

"I see that, what do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know, hold him?"

"You're the woman!"

"I'm dealing with him! By the way, we need a medic," She said, nodding at Green.

" _Sending one in. We're on our way in, as well,_ " Hotch said.

Little Reid now had tears running down his cheeks, "Hey, it's alright, buddy...Uh...Do you want a hug?" Rossi asked, reaching for the boy and grabbing his arm. The boy didn't respond as Rossi lifted him out of his now too big pants, wrapping the bottom of Reid's sweater around his legs.

"Where's Reid?" Hotch asked as he, the other members of the team, and a medic, entered the room.

"Um...Right here," Rossi motioned towards the boy in his arms, who was looking at Hotch was a terrified expression.

"Yeah...one of his experiments...turned out it worked. And he used it on Reid," Emily explained as Green was handcuffed to the gurney.

"Is...Is this a joke?" Hotch asked. Rossi shook his head, "Let...Here, let me hold him,"

Rossi handed the small boy over, "Here, buddy, I gotcha, you're safe, we gotta take you to the doctor's, 'kay?" Reid snuggled into Hotch's grip.

"JJ's gonna have a cow," Morgan muttered.

"Actually, she's having a boy," Rossi said sarcastically. Morgan shot him an annoyed look.

"How are we going to tell her and Garcia?" Emily asked, "I volunteer Morgan,"

"I agree," Rossi said.

"Hey! Hotch, they're-"

"I have to take him to the hospital. Are any of you coming with?"

"I will," Rossi said. Hotch raised an eyebrow, knowing the relationship that adult Reid and Rossi had, "What? He's grown on me."

"It's been three minutes," Emily pointed out.

"Your point?"

"He just doesn't wanna be around when I tell baby girl," Morgan said.

"You know what? He's grown on me too. I'll come with you to the hospital." Emily said.

"You guys suck. I'll meet you there, I'm probably going to have to pick up JJ and Garcia." Morgan said, taking his phone out of his pocket and exiting the room.

"Reid?" Rossi asked the young boy.

"Spencer?" Hotch asked. The boys head whipped up at his first name. He looked at Hotch, and blinked, "Do you remember who I am?"

Reid gave the man a confused look.

"My name's Hotch, okay? These are my friends Emily and Dave,"

Spencer nodded, snuggling further into Hotch's chest, which was probably hard to do, considering he was wearing a bullet proof vest.

"How did he do that?" Emily muttered.

"It's a dad thing," Hotch said, stroking the small boy's hair.

"I want to hold him," Rossi said suddenly, reaching out for the boy. Hotch nodded, trying to pry the small boy off of him. The boy squealed, struggling to get away from Rossi's hands. Rossi withdrew, a hurt look on his face.

"Spencer, he's not going to hurt you," Hotch told the boy, "He's my friend, you can trust him,"

"It's okay, Aaron, I'm a big boy," Rossi said.

"Dave, he's, like, two, at the most, he doesn't know you, so don't take it personally."

Spencer buried his tiny head in Hotch's chest again.

"I know, and I'm not,"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alright, so I used some medical terms and stuff in this chapter, and honestly I have no idea what any of it means, it just sounded scientific-ish, so don't judge me! Also, thanks everyone who favorited, followed, reviewed, etc. It means so much to me and always puts a smile on my face!**_

 _ **So, without further ado, chapter two of Little Reid!**_

!

"I just thought, when I saw the needle..." Emily trailed off, looking at JJ.

"I know what you mean," JJ nodded. Hotch looked at them. He hated to ask the question, but he needed to know.

"JJ, is Reid clean?" He asked.

She sighed, "I think so. I mean, he's been a lot happier lately,"

"And not such a jerk to me," Emily added. Hotch shot her a look and she shrugged.

"Yeah, but can you imagine a three year old detoxing?" JJ asked, "Adults can barely do it, but a toddler?"

"If that happens, can we just hand baby Spencer off the Morgan for a few days?" Emily asked, watching as Morgan paced back and forth through the hospital waiting room, anticipating word on his friend.

"No, I'll take him," Hotch said, "I have the most experience with toddlers,"

"Yeah," Garcia said, walking up behind them with a bottle of water in her hand. She handed it to JJ, "But JJ needs the practice,"

"I don't think babysitting a genius three year old is the same thing as a newborn, Pen." JJ said.

"Do you think he can read?" Garcia asked, plopping herself next to Emily on the waiting room bench.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Emily responded, "There's that same nurse from when we came in," She nodded her head in the direction of a corridor. Rossi was already walking up to the nurse, talking quietly with her.

They all stood up, but Hotch, being the team leader, was the only one to make his way over to Rossi and the nurse. Morgan, who was on the far side of the waiting room, eyed him anxiously.

"Agent Reid, right now, at least, is a completely healthy little boy. We would age him at about two to five years,"

"Two to five years? That's quite a gap," Rossi mused.

"He's very small, but his bone density gave us reason to believe that he was older than we originally thought."

"And we have no idea why he's like this?" Hotch asked.

"None, whatsoever. I wish I could tell you something different, Agents,"

"Where is he? Did he say anything? Does he remember anything?" Morgan asked, walking up behind them.

The nurse shook her head, "No, that's another thing, he hasn't said a word to anyone."

"Can we see him?"

"I'll bring him out in a few minutes," The nurse nodded, "He's going to be put into your custody, correct, Agent Hotchner?"

"Yes, that's correct," He nodded.

"I'll go get the paper work and Spencer as well, then." She nodded, turning around and walking down another corridor.

"Thank you," Hotch called after her.

"So?" Garcia asked.

"They have no idea what's wrong with him," Morgan said, sitting down next to Garcia. She put a comforting hand on his arm.

"They'll figure it out,"

"How? We don't have any samples of the serum that was injected into Reid, we only have Green's notes and experiments."

"I don't know, Morgan, but we'll fix this. Reid will be back to spouting random facts and watching Doctor Who in no time," JJ smiled at him.

Even so, her smile was tense, and Hotch could tell that she didn't necessarily believe in what she was saying.

"Guys, I brought Spencer," the nurse's voice called. It was slightly higher than it was before, and she was speaking in a kind tone. The team looked at her, then down at the boy who was lingering behind her in a hospital gown.

"Hey, buddy," Rossi said, kneeling down. Spencer came out from behind the nurse, slowly walking forward, "How're you feeling?"

Spencer frowned, and then shrugged. Hotch knelt beside Rossi, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Are you hungry, Spencer?" He asked him. Once again, Spencer only shrugged, looking at the ground.

"Here, let me try," JJ said, gently pushing Rossi out of the way. Spencer looked up at the woman in curiosity, then reached his arms out towards her, "You want me to pick you up?" He nodded. She smiled at him, grabbing him under the arms and holding him close to her.

Even as an adult, Reid buried his head in the crooks of people's necks when he hugged them. What Hotch found endearing when adult Reid did it, he found it adorable when young Reid did it.

Spencer hid his face from the team, gripping JJ's shoulder with one hand, and the other was clutching onto a section of her hair.

"Is he...tired?" Morgan asked. Garcia shook her head.

"I think he's scared," She replied quietly.

"I would be scared as well," Rossi said. Spencer looked up from JJ's shoulder, directly at Rossi.

"You would?" Spencer asked, surprising everyone, including Rossi.

"Well...yeah. You're being a brave boy, Spencer," Rossi did his best to give the boy a reassuring smile.

"But, being scared is for babies," Spencer said, a look of confusion evident on his face.

"Who told you that?" Rossi asked, taking a tentative step towards JJ and Reid.

"My dad," Spencer whispered, burying his head in shame.

"Well, he's wrong. Even the bravest men get scared, Spencer," Rossi said, rubbing the boy's back in an attempt to be comforting.

"Really?"

"Really." Rossi nodded. With that, Reid reached out his hands towards Rossi. Rossi looked at JJ, who smiled at him, handing over the child.

"Um...Okay. Are you hungry, buddy?" Rossi asked. Spencer shrugged, "Oh come on, you gotta be hungry," Spencer responded by snuggling himself into Rossi's chest.

Which made Rossi's heart melt, but he would never tell the rest of the team that.

"Are...are you tired?" Rossi had no idea to speak to a child or what they liked or disliked. He knew the basics from parenting books, but those were from the early eighties at the latest.

Spencer nodded into Rossi's chest, clutching onto his shirt. Rossi felt a sense of relief, now knowing what the child wanted.

"Alright, let's go get him to bed," Hotch said.

!

"These are some of my son's clothes, I hope you don't mind," Hotch said, helping Spencer put on his shirt.

"Where's your son?" Spencer asked after his head _finally_ (He had been having troubles, which is why Hotch decided to help him. His arms seemed to always go through the wrong holes) went through the head hole of the shirt. The clothes were a bit too big for the boy, but they would do for tonight. Jack's shirts would fit Reid just fine, albeit they would be baggy, but they would have to go get pants and shoes for the boy, seeing as Jack's wouldn't fit him.

"With his mom. He's probably sleeping by now," Hotch didn't want to get into the story with the child, afraid that Spencer would ask too many questions.

"Oh. My mom is in Nevada."

"Is she?" Hotch asked him, kneeling in front of him. It was the first time the boy was talking about his memories, which would hopefully give the team an indication of just how old Spencer was now.

It appeared that he didn't have any memories of his adult life, but only of his younger life, when he was a toddler.

"Yes. She's a fifteenth century liter-literature professor," Spencer struggled over his words, which Hotch found adorable.

"Oh? Does she read to you?" The boy nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, but sometimes I read to her."

"You know how to read?"

"I've known how to read since I was two,"

"How old are you now?" Hotch asked, looking at the child. Spencer held up three fingers and produced a toothy grin.

"Three? That's pretty old." Hotch said with a deadpan expression. Spencer giggled.

"That's what momma says! Well, when she's feeling well," Spencer kicked his legs out anxiously, looking at the floor, "I have to take care of her when she's sick. Dad just gets angry at her. But she can't help it. It's who she is,"

Hotch took Spencer's tiny hands in his own, "You're a very good boy, Spencer. You know that, right?" Spencer shrugged, "Can I have a hug before you go to bed?" The child nodded, wrapping his arms around Hotch's neck. Hotch kissed the top of Spencer's head, smoothing out his messy hair in the process.

"What's your son's name?" Spencer asked as he laid back in the bed.

"Jack,"

"I like that name,"  
"I do too."


	3. Chapter 3

"So," Morgan asked as he walked into Hotch's kitchen, "How is he?"

"Sleeping, hopefully. Pour yourself some coffee, the mugs are in the cupboard to the right of the sink," Hotch responded. Morgan looked at the clock.

"It's quarter after ten, pretty late, don't you think?"

Hotch shrugged, looking at Morgan, "Strauss has been alerted of the current… situation, that we're in, and we're all on paid leave until further notice,"

"Well, at least it's paid leave." Morgan muttered.

"Nothing like this has ever happened before. I don't think anyone knows what to do, really,"

"Reid didn't exactly have a good child hood, Hotch, how much do you think he remembers?"

"Well, after you all left last night and I helped him get ready for bed, he started talking. He said that he had to take care of his mother when she had her...episodes, and that his father neglected to care for either one of them. He also revealed that he's currently three."

"He told you all that? Why was he so shy around all of us?" Morgan asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"New people or surroundings, maybe? It was pretty overwhelming for all of us," Hotch said. Morgan nodded, silently agreeing with the statement.

"You sure he's still asleep?" Morgan asked his boss.

"I'll go check on him," Hotch responded, setting down his mug and making his way towards the hallway where the bedrooms were situated.

He knocked lightly on the door, and then entered the room. The bed which Reid had slept on was neatly made, and the small boy was sitting cross legged at the edge of it. He looked up when the door opened.

"Hey, buddy, what's the matter?" Hotch asked after seeing the boy's distraught look on his face.

"Where am I? _When_ am I?" Spencer asked, wrapping his arms around his torso, tears forming in his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"I...I tried t-to call my mom last night, after you fell asleep, and...and her number, was… It said it was disconnected," Spencer whispered, looking away from Hotch.

"Buddy, maybe-"

"And then...And then I found a newspaper sitting on your coffee table...and the date, it said 2007,"

Hotch sighed, "Spencer, there was an… accident, that brought you here. But I'm going to do everything I can to get you back home, okay, buddy? But until then, you have to work with me, alright?"

Hotch wrapped his arms around the small boy, picking him up and carrying him into the kitchen.

"What's the matter, pretty boy?" Morgan asked when he say the boy's face. Spencer's eyes widened in panic, and he started to squirm in Hotch's arms.

"No! Please!" He squealed, burying his face in Hotch's shoulder.

"What is it, Spencer? What's wrong?" Hotch asked.

"Spencer, I'm not going to hurt you," Morgan said in the most soothing tone he could muster.

"Can you tell us why you're afraid?" Hotch murmured, stroking the boy's hair in an attempt to comfort him.

"That's what he calls me...Says, says he'll kill Momma if I don't do what he wants,"

"What does he want you do to?" Hotch asked, fearing what the answer would be. Morgan, who was on the same page as Hotch as to what he thought Spencer was talking about, had turned pale.

"Don't make me go back!" Reid screamed, clutching onto Hotch, "Please!"

"I'm not going to make you do anything, Spencer, no one is going to hurt you, alright? No one's gonna hurt you," Hotch whispered, holding onto Spencer.

*!* *

"After he called his old house number, he found a newspaper on my coffee table, and saw the date. He put the pieces together. Well, not completely together, I believe he thought he was a time traveler," Hotch told the others (Minus JJ, who was at a doctor's appointment).

"Then, when he came into the kitchen, I called him Pretty boy," Morgan continued the story, "And he freaked out, begging us not to make him go back, and he said that whoever he was talking about would kill his mom if he didn't do what he was told,"

Garcia looked ill, "You don't think he was…?"

"I'm not sure, Penelope, he didn't tell us anything else, he was too spooked."

"Where is he now?" Rossi asked.

"Sleeping," Hotch said, nodding towards the hallway. Rossi got up, walking in that direction, "Rossi, I don't think that's a good idea." Hotch warned him. Rossi ignored him, quietly entering the boy's room and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You're not asleep, are you?" Dave asked.

"How did you know?" Spencer asked in a whisper.

"'Cause I'm smart. Why so glum, little one?"

"They're talking about me, aren't they?" The boy sat up, looking at Rossi expectantly.

"Well, only because they love you and they're worried about you,"

"Nobody loves me," Spencer said suddenly.

"Why do you think that?" Rossi asked.

"Dad tells me it all the time, and when Momma gets sick, she screams at me that I'm just a mistake,"

There was a spike of anger in Rossi. Who could tell their child that nobody loves them, especially a child that was as smart and adorable as Spencer Reid?

"Well, like I said yesterday, your dad isn't always right, and your mom only said that because she wasn't feeling well, I know for a fact that she loves you very much," Rossi remembered the letters Reid and his mother exchanged daily.

Reid looked at him, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I'm smart, remember? Now you should get some rest, you look exhausted."

"Dave, will you lay with me for a while? You don't have to lay here that long, just for a few minutes..." Spencer trailed off, looking embarrassed that he was even asking the older man this question.

"Of course, buddy. I'd be honored."

And the team found them like that. Spencer curled up besides Rossi, while Rossi was laying on his back, mouth open slightly, snoring quietly, a protective arm wrapped around the small boy.

Garcia made sure she got lots of pictures to show JJ.


End file.
